^OA. Mkarhh on the Birds oj Arizona. [J"ly 



captures a single specimen. It was in this uninviting region that 

 I first saw Leconte's Thrasher. 



The ride from the Gihi River to Maricopa, on March 30, 

 18S5, was through a desert, bordered by distant foothdls, along 

 the base of which are forests of giant cacti, some of which were 

 found along the road. A sluice of the Gila was crossed a few 

 miles from the river, along wdiich were some cottonwoods and a 

 quantity of tule {Scirpus) and cat-tails; also plent}' of green 

 grass, in which Meadow Larks, and Thrashers of some species, 

 were singing, the latter in mesquites. The . rest of the country 

 was bare of grass, sandy, and covered with scattered sagebrush 

 and cacti ( Opunfia, Echinocereus^ Cereus, and Echinocactus) , 

 with occasional bare areas of white sand, where the sun's re- 

 flection was terrible. A rare squirrel {Spermophllus tereticau- 

 dus) w^as here abundant; and all of ovn^ superfluous energy was 

 expended early in the day, which was intensely hot, in capturing 

 some of them. As we rode along in the condition of stolid in- 

 difference to everything, which ensues after the limit of human 

 endurance is reached, numberless lizards and horned toads of 

 varied hues sped unheeded from our trail, until the orderly riding 

 behind me exclaimed : "Doctor, what are they !" and pointed 

 with his carbine to a pair of whitish birds upon the sand, with 

 their tails cocked up over their backs, which I saw at a glance 

 were Leconte's Thrashers. This pair, both of which I shot, were 

 the only ones seen that day. They ran and hid with as much 

 agility and cunning as the Chapparal Cock. As I pursued 

 them, some large white lizards scuttled into their holes at the 

 side of a sandy arroyo, w'hich, in the glare of the sun, resembled 

 the Thrashers, than which they were scarcely more fleet, both 

 running before me with great speed, and disappearing from view. 

 They seldom arose from the ground, and then only skimmed over 

 the brushwood a little way, and then ran swiftly on in zig-zags, 

 amongst the bushes and cactuses. They were secured with 

 great trouble and exertion, for which the}' were doubtless the 

 more highly prized. The female's ovary showed that four eggs 

 would constitute the complement, and that the}' would soon have 

 been deposited. 



As so frequently happens when once the ice is broken, my ac- 

 quaintance with Leconte's Thrasher grew apace after this intro- 

 duction. The following day was spent at Maricopa, at which 



